A Light at the End of the Tunnel
by RAHEL101
Summary: Hermione, Harry, and Ron start their lives off after the defeat of Voldemortand move into an apartment together. New problems start to arise, including a new dark master. Will their friendship survive? --Better summary inside :


_Okay, this is my first story so I hope you like it! Oh, this is right after Deathly Hallows and Hermione and Ron are dating :DD_

_A Light at the End of the Tunnel_

_Summary: Hermione, Harry, and Ron start their lives off after the defeat of Voldemort and move into an apartment together, all facing similar heartbreak caused by lost loved ones. To make matter worse new problems start to arise, including a new dark master. Will their friendship survive?_

_Chapter one: Moving on, moving in _

--

Hermione Granger watched as many different sizes, colors, and shapes of cars drove past her bedroom window. The view would be beautiful if the city wasn't as dirty and if the buildings weren't as run down, but to Hermione it was still beautiful. It was all they could afford, they being Ron, Harry, and herself. It was their first apartment and it was perfect in everyway for them, it was their _own_. After Voldemort was defeated the Ministry had offered the three a ton of money, thanking them for their good deeds. Harry, Ron, and Hermione refused the money; they wanted to make it on their own, _without_ the help from the Ministry. So far, they were doing great.

What Hermione did take from the Ministry was a job. She had always wanted to work there, even since fifth year when they went inside. The Ministry had always excited Hermione with all of its hidden secrets and mysterious wonder. When they offered her the job as Head of Dark Magical Studies, which was basically the job of looking at cases that held subspecies behavior of Dark Magic, she couldn't resist. Harry and Ron didn't take the jobs the Ministry had offered them, but instead took a full internship as aurors.

Hermione sighed, Harry and Ron, they had been gone for hours. She should have never trusted them to do the shopping. The two boys had gone to get the trio's very first groceries. Hermione looked at her analog clock above her bed, they had been gone for two hours. She sighed, at least it gave her time to finish her room. It looked nice, very Hermione. She had three bookshelves and everything. She smiled as she walked over to her bookcases, all of those books meant something special to her. She ran her fingertip over their spines slightly, recalling a memory each time she touched a new book. Some of them were old school books while some of them where from the battle. As she came close to the end of the last bookshelf, she came upon an old book her mother had once given her as a child. Hermione took the book of the shelf and held it to her chest; it brought back a painful memory.

_Eighteen-year-old Hermione Granger sat perched up on a leather stool behind her stone-top counter and watched as her parents made dinner. She had offered to help, but her mom and dad had insisted that she rest, after all it had only been year after Voldemort's defeat and she had just brought her parents home few weeks ago. Surprising enough, they weren't too mad at Hermione, they were actually proud. They said that it takes pure courage to fight for your loved ones and it takes even more courage to let loved ones go to protect them. _

_"It's almost ready, sweetie, can you set the table?" asked her mother. _

_Hermione softly smiled, "Sure" _

_Hermione set the table slowly, remembering when she would think how she could have never done this after she put that charm on them. When Hermione was finished she took a seat across from her mother's chair and waited until her parents came into the room. When they did, they were laughing. Her father put their dinner in the middle of the table and a seat at the head of it. Her mother also took her seat, right before she gave Hermione a small wink. Hermione laughed and the small family began to fill their plates high with delicious food. _

Hermione remembered that day with joy; her family was reunited once more. She smiled as she remembered how lovely her parents were to each other that day. When she was a little girl, she would always wish for a love like they had. These days, Hermione realized her wish came true, she had Ron. Hermione blushed as she thought about Ron; she was hopelessly in love, and without him she would never gotten over what had happened later that night.

_After the family finished eating her parents had declared they had a long day and were tired. Hermione told them it go to bed and don't worry about her, she had to stop at the store anyway and buy Harry is birthday present. Her parents had kissed their daughter goodnight and told her they loved her, then they were in bed, sleeping. _

_Hermione left to find a perfect present for Harry, which took her over an hour. As soon as she got back to her parent's house she could tell something was wrong. Hermione put her bag from the store on the kitchen counter and inspected the downstairs. She had found nothing. Upstairs was an entirely different story, it was trashed. Papers laid everywhere, mattress's lay in the bedrooms with immense wholes in them, stuffing sticking out, and picture lay crooked on the wall, some broken._

_Hermione rushed into her parent's bedroom to see if they were alright. At first glance, they seemed perfectly fine, almost as if they were sleeping. As Hermione came closer she noticed her mother's face, her eyes lay open and they a deathly blank look on her face. Seeing that face scared Hermione more than anything else in the world. She rushed forward to her parents to find her worst nightmare come true, they were dead. Hermione took out her wand and sent quick Patronous to Mr. Weasly about the killing. She then climbed into bed with her parents, right in the middle. It was a recent death, their bodies were still warm. She had laid there and held her parents until a whole flock of aurors came rushing into the room. Hermione barely remembered being picked up and taken to the burrow. _

Hermione held the book tighter while trying to hold back her tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. The worst part of it all was they never found out who actually committed the crime. Most of the aurors assumed it was revenge for Voldemort's death, but the funny thing is that her parents were the only deaths since his defeat.

The next instant Hermione heard the front door open and a loud noise come from it that sounded like a cry of pain, Hermione laughed, men were too over dramatic. She put the book back inside its place and gave it one last pat before she exited the room to see what kind of food the boys had brought back. When Hermione walked into the kitchen, she started to burst out laughing. Somehow Harry and Ron had managed to drop half of the bags onto the floor. She noticed a milk carton leaking somewhere. Harry and Ron stood next to the mess, not noticing Hermione's presence. They were facing each other, yelling at it was the other's fault.

After a minute, the two friends seemed to notice Hermione. They both gave her dirty looks. "Oh, that's really mature Hermione, laugh in a situation like this" Ron snapped.

Hermione just continued to laugh while Harry and Ron rolled their eyes at her. "Ron, clean it up"

"Me? Why me? _You_ clean to up Potter!"

"No, it wasn't _my_ big, fat toe that got in my way!" Harry yelled.

"But _you're_ the one who fell!" Ron yelled back.

Hermione, able to control her giggles, took control. "Now you guys are being immature! Both of you clean it up!" Hermione said firmly, "Without magic!" Hermione added for Harry took out his wand.

The two boys growled, but worked on it anyway. Hermione stood behind the two, smiling, "Living together is going to be a _blast_"

--

Hermione groaned for she felt a finger object poke her in the shoulder. "Goway! I sleepin!"

The finger's owner climbed into bed next to her, "But I need you"

Hermione's eyes shot open at Ron's voice. She turned over to face him, "Why? What happened?"

"Nothing, I just need you tonight. I guess it's because it's our first night in this apartment," Ron said.

"Liar. You still haven't finished your room have you?" Hermione said as she raised her eyebrows.

Ron laughed, "Okay, that may be part of it, but I still want to be with you tonight. I will _always _want to be with you"

Hermione smiled, "You're welcome to sleep in here anytime you want"

Ron smiled back, "You're going to regret saying that, I'll be in here every night"

"Then I don't regret it" Hermione said as she kissed him gently on his lips.

Ron smiled and kissed her back, just as passionate. They kissed for a while before it was interrupted by Hermione's yawn. She laughed and quickly said sorry. Ron looked into Hermione's eyes, "Don't be sorry, you've had a long day, go to sleep"

Hermione nodded and cuddled up to his chest. Ron smiled one more time at the sight of her and then slowly fell asleep with his arms around her.

--

_Do you like? This is my first ever story that I have put up on here so I don't know if it's that good. Please tell me what you think! :) _


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